Software project for civil/structural field engineer

Abstract

The purpose of this project is to modernize the civil/structural consulting engineering profession and increase the efficiency and proficiency of the work-load for both the consultants and the contractors through the use of a universal application for PC, tablet, and smartphone platforms. The level of efficiency and proficiency increase mentioned can be achieved through a common UI experience among the various devices the engineer may have at his disposal. With the use of good software discipline, I hope to significantly improve the way engineers perform their common tasks in the profession.

Acknowledgments

I really need to thank my boss (The Resident Engineer) for planting the idea in my head. When I interviewed for the job, he suggested that I use my software development background to come up with something useful for civil/structural engineers. There really aren't that many software written for engineers. Why? Because engineering is too specialized of a field for software developers to understand enough to develop real useful software for the engineers. And most engineers don't know how to code. The programs in existent for this field aren't really user friendly. And most are designed for office work, not field work.

Thank you for being supportive of this project. There's been a lot of opposition to what I've done so far. Some don't like it because they believe it might put engineers out of work. Some don't like it because the traditional way is all hand-written. And some don't like it simply because it's something different. I'm grateful I have an RE that knows the importance of progress.

Intro and Body

Ok, so what exactly is this project about? It's an original software written by moi for engineering field work. Coming from a software developer background and is now working as an engineer, I've decided to combine the two skillsets to produce something original that will hopefully come in handy for many.

But first, why does field work need a software? As consultants, we act as advisors and inspectors for a particular project. We advice the contractor what they need to do and we inspect their work to check for quality and the amount to pay for. Often times, the work involved could be very simple but annoyingly arduous to do.

For example, let's look at a very simple pay item: the curb and gutter. It is paid by linear foot. Sounds simple enough. But as an inspector, I need to keep my eyes on the work that the laborers and finishers do, measure out how much curb and gutter they've put in, and make calculations to prove that they've used the minimum amount of concrete the job required. I am also expected to work out a quick yield check for the amount of curing compound that was used.

Traditionally, all of this is done by hand. And yes, it still sounds simple enough. But what if I am inspecting 3 different crews? Last week, at any one time, I watched 3 crews: asphalt, removal, and light pole foundations. At others, it would be concrete pavement, foundations, and curb and gutter. If you add the work up for the entire week, it's quite a work load for 1 engineer.

Here's a worksheet generated by my program. All I did was measured the appropriate values and then put them into my tablet.



When I press print, the app will generate a nicely formatted worksheet for me to include in my report. The data are automatically saved as I enter the values . And all devices linked to my account sync with the data in real time, so when I go back to my office I can simply put down my tablet and continue the work on my desktop or print out nicely formatted report.

Sometimes, looking up pay items could be a pain if I'm busy with several tasks. Here is a screenshot of the coverpage for a report. Notice the autosuggestions. When I select a payitem, everything except the amount automatically fills.



One very important advantage of using this software is everything automatically saves with each change I make. When I need to look at an old report for reference or if there is a question and I need to refer back to an old report, instead of digging through dozens or hundreds of reports, I can simply look through the saved reports by the dates.



I hope by now you have an idea of what this software does. It has many functions. With it, I currently can generate calculations and reports for foundations, footings, pavement, HMA, etc. by simply inputting measured values into the app. And each day, I continue to improve on the app and add more functions to it.

For now, it is strictly a personal venture. I do not expect anyone else to use it. The Illinois Department of Transportation seems to have no problem with my reports. We were audited last month, and the auditor had no problem with my reports. If anything, my print-outs are much easier to read and follow than most hand-written reports, making their jobs a lot easier.

And this is another advantage I want to point out. Because of the nature of our job, as stewards of the state it is our job to make sure everything the contractors do have a certain acceptable level of quality. The best way to ensure this is to make certain everything is transparent so anyone/everyone can look through our work and understand exactly what was constructed and what was paid for.

As you can see from my screenshots, everything is properly laid out so anyone can follow what has been constructed and how each item is paid for. I believe this software can create an even greater level of transparency on average.

Well, I hope you enjoyed my pseudo-project report... if you made it this far. I'll explain more in subsequent posts.